sentbacktothesu

ok i i have a potentially huge problem. i have an 03 civic ex AUTO. i know ive been needing my tanny fluid flushed, or changed for some time but i haven't had the 120.00 lying around to get it fixed. im on a tight budget. i figured id get it done in a few weeks when i get my taxes back.

well its been slipping a little on cold mornings but its usually fine.

anyway getting to the point. tonight i was driving. it was acting up a bit, but it was cold so i figured it bed fine. i went home. went to get gas and a friends house. we went to get some food and i went to get back on the road, and it was acting up more than normal.

from 1st to second was ok. revved a but bit fine but 2nd to 3rd it was bad. i let off the gas let it shift. i went to get on the highway and it was bad. it wouldn't shift. went into neutral it felt and just revved.

it got to the point where i couldn't keep up with traffic. i was doing almost 30. i pulled over. the check engine light came on. i shut off the car. turned it back on. and this time it skipped going into first.

then the same thing happened. i managed to get it up to speed with the help of a decline and made it home, barley. the car will not move easily and i have to be very careful with the throttle.

i got home and checked my fluid to find there was almost none in there... where could it have all gone? im kindna confused. im hoping that it Only needs fluid cause i cant afford a new tranny..


and to top it all off. its my birthday.

speedfoos

iTrader: (17)

Happy birthday!

You haven't noticed any leaks in the fluid? When was the last time you checked it? Top it off with fluid, let it warm up, go through the gears a few times (don't drive it), then drain it and refill it. Pray you don't see metal flakes in the fluid you drain out. Throw a magnet in the bottom of the drain pan so you can see if/how much there are.

Hopefully you didn't toast the tranny by running it without fluid.

sentbacktothesu

i dont think i did. when i checked it i didnt smell anything funny, and i didnt hear any grinding. it seemed fine it just slipped a ton. we will see how it goes.

and no i havent seen any leaks. it was fine one minute, disaster the next

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

to bad your not a little closer to me. Im selling a rebuilt auto trans for $650. I would be willing to bet that the 3rd clutch is roasted... All to common in the 7thgen civic.

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

id put some fluid back into it, then test it, if it does the same thing, its like dopes said, its the 3rd clutch, maybe even teh 2nd clutch, maybe both, either way, ur screwed, u better hope its under warranty

ryox82

iTrader: (4)

I can't wait to swap mine to a manual. When it comes to auto trannies as soon as something has gone wrong with it and it gets opened up and I pay big bucks to fix it, it continually breaks. Best of luck to you! Hopefully it can be swapped under warranty.

sentbacktothesu

how much tranny fluid do i add? and what kind>

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

Honda ATF only! dont run anything else. Add untill you are in between low and full when its at operating temp. If its not showing on the dip stick I would add 1/2 quart at a time and keep checking.

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

on a level surface, can not running, but at running temp

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

^^ Ya that too. Thanks! +rep

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

id hit u back, but sadly i cant

sentbacktothesu

since the last time i posted i took a look. i added some fluid and it seems to be a little better but not perfect. but its also not completely full. i had to go to work so i put it on hold and took my dads truck to work. but i was listening to it warm up and its whining. it made this noise the night prior to the incident. i figured it maybe was my power steering running low, but upon closer inspection the noise is clearly coming from the tranny.

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

well the trans is toast then because of low fluid pressure. Im sure the internal screen is totally clogged causing the failure. Auto trannys rely completley on oil pressure to work. If they dont have it then they die VERY quickly.

OOh and about the comment from royx82 above saying that rebuilt trannys cant be good. I rebuilt my GF's 25k miles ago (when it first started slipping before the wining noise came) with the TCI racing overhaul kit and its been flawless ever since. Nice and firm shifts! We have even taken it on 1000 mile trips a few times. It really just depends on who rebuilds it. To many shops do crap *** work!

sentbacktothesu

is it possible the screen is clogged and the tranny isnt completly toast. its not like i drove it for a week like this. and why is my check engine light on, i heard when the tranny does the PPRDL32 lights do something like flash or d flashes or something. none of that is happening

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

well you may honestly be able to get away with replacing the screen but the whole thing would have to be inspected and some parts will still probably have to be replaced along with it (clutches and steels for at least 2nd and 3rd). If I was doing the work I would say its probably an $800 job, at a shop your looking at a LOT more. Most shops since they already have to drop the trans like to do the whole job.

sentbacktothesu

looks like ill be at honda tomorrow looking into a fit sport

sentbacktothesu

so if i do get it fixed what needs to be done, rebuild the whole tranny?

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

Those are REALLY nice cars especially for the price. I just love how much you can actually "fit" in there LOL.

They also dont have the crap *** trannys that the 7thgen civic has. And it has drive by wire so even if you drive it hard the trans will still last a good bit longer then the 7thgen. My GF was actually looking at one too lol.

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

well the whole thing needs to be taken apart and looked at. Since it would already be apart Im sure most shops will tell you a whole rebuild is needed.

sentbacktothesu

i love the fit, minus the no center arm rest. that bugs me sooo badly

sentbacktothesu

ok i know hearing this might be getting old. but i havent moved my car. its been sitting in my driveway since that night. i went out there a little while ago to get a good look at in the daylight. i started it up and like i said before its making that whining. but the whining stops once its in gear. it only makes the noise in nutral and park.

also i looked in the driveway and i dont see any leak spots.

its going to a shop soon. but i want to rule out as much as possible.

so whats the whining and why when its only in nutral.
and why is my check engine light on?

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

go get the code read at any auto parts store and that will tell you why its on. There are probably 1000 different codes I cant predict which one you have. As for the whining it could be many things inside the trans. I would have to hear it to be sure.

sentbacktothesu

civic will be back Tuesday. finally. it had a cracked rear seal.. which would explain the missing fluid. a broken tranny mount and new clutch between second and third.

1965.78 later... oh boy..